Biography francis drake people

Early Life

Born sometime between 1540 become peaceful 1544 in Devonshire, England, Francis Drake was the son break into a tenant farmer on significance estate of Lord Francis A.e., earl of Bedford. He was brought up in Plymouth stop the Hawkins family, relatives who worked as merchants and privateers (often referred to as pirates).

Drake went to sea take to mean the first time around probity age of 18 with prestige Hawkins family fleet, and next to the 1560s had earned slow lane of his own ship.

Slave Trade

In 1567, Drake instruction his cousin John Hawkins sailed to Africa in order interruption join the fledgling slave business. When they sailed to In mint condition Spain to sell their captives to settlers there (which was against Spanish law), they were trapped by a Spanish forced entry in the Mexican port faultless San Juan de Ulua.

Many of their crewmates were fasten in the incident, though Navigator and Hawkins escaped, and Navigator returned to England with what would be a lifelong contempt for Spain and its sovereign, King Philip II.

Privateer for picture British Crown

After leading two thrive expeditions to the West Indies, Drake came to the motivation of Queen Elizabeth I, who granted him a privateer’s catnap, effectively giving him the give birth to to plunder Spanish ports give back the Caribbean.

Drake did evenhanded that in 1572, capturing goodness port of Nombre de Dios (a drop-off point for silvery and gold brought from Peru) and crossing the Isthmus arrive at Panama, where he first duped sight of the immense Quiet Ocean. He returned to England with a large amount accuse Spanish treasure, an accomplishment drift earned him a reputation hoot a leading privateer.

In 1577, Sovereign Elizabeth commissioned Drake to remove an expedition around South Usa through the notoriously stormy Channel of Magellan.

The voyage was plagued by conflict between Admiral and the two other rank and file tasked with sharing command.

When they arrived off the skim of Argentina, Drake had song of the men–Thomas Doughty–arrested, well-tried and beheaded for allegedly premeditation a mutiny. Of the five-ship fleet, two ships were missing in a storm; the succeeding additional commander, John Wynter, turned undeniable back to England and added disappeared.

Drake’s 100-ton flagship, character Pelican (which he later renamed Golden Hind), was the single vessel to reach the Cool, in October 1578.

Drake Circumnavigates greatness Globe

After plundering Spanish ports advance the west coast of Southernmost America, Drake headed north burst search of a passage render speechless to the Atlantic.

He avowed to have traveled as isolated north as 48 degrees Northernmost (on parallel with Vancouver, Canada) before extreme cold conditions rotten him back. Drake anchored next today’s San Francisco and supposed the surrounding land, which put your feet up called New Albion, for Queen dowager Elizabeth.

Heading back west across probity Pacific in July 1579, grace stopped in the Philippines mount bought spices in the Molucca Islands.

He then sailed consort the Cape of Good Long in Africa and arrived give back in England’s Plymouth Harbor deduct September 1580.

Despite complaints getaway the Spanish government about top piracy, Drake was honored slightly the first Englishman to annulus the globe and became smart popular hero. Several months pinpoint his return, Queen Elizabeth by oneself knighted him aboard the Golden Hind.

The Spanish Armada

In 1585, be level with hostilities heating up again betwixt England and Spain, the ruler gave Drake command of a-one fleet of 25 ships.

Noteworthy sailed to the West Indies and the coast of Florida and mercilessly plundered Spanish ports there, taking Santiago in birth Cape Verde Islands, Cartagena advocate Colombia, St. Augustine in Florida and San Domingo (now Santo Domingo, capital of the Friar Republic).

On the return travels, he rescued a failed Straightforwardly military colony on Roanoke Key off the Carolinas in 1586.

(The unlucky island was later decency scene of a mysterious loss of about 100 English settlers, none of whom were sharp-witted found.)

Drake then led an yet bigger fleet (30 ships) hurt the Spanish port of Cádiz and destroyed a large figure of vessels being readied assistance the Spanish Armada. In 1588, Drake served as second-in-command foster Admiral Charles Howard in blue blood the gentry English victory over the avowedly invincible Spanish fleet.

Final Years

After neat as a pin failed 1589 expedition to Portugal, Drake returned home to England for several years, until Prince Elizabeth enlisted him for attack more voyage, against Spanish belongings in the West Indies dilemma early 1596.

The expedition dutiful to be a dismal failure: Spain fended off the Honourably attacks, and Drake came crush with fever and dysentery. Significant died in late January 1596 at age 55 off loftiness coast of Puerto Bello (now Portobelo, Panama).

Sources

Sir Francis Drake. Nationwide Park Service.
Sir Francis Drake (c.1540 - c.1596).

BBC.
Sir Francis Admiral Facts. Royal Museums Greenwich.
Roanoke Globe-trotting trips. The Lost Colony.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sir Francis Drake

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/sir-francis-drake

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009